Lateral Associate - Litigation: Employment

Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC; Northern, New York (KY, NY); Hybrid; USD 235,000 - 455,000; Full time

Job summary

Sullivan & Cromwell is seeking an associate to join the Firm's Litigation Group and work with lawyers in the Employment Practice. Ideal candidates should have at least four years of experience in a law firm’s employment group on the management side.

Candidates with prior government experience—such as the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or a state or local agency responsible for enforcing employment laws—are also encouraged to apply.

Qualifications

• Broad experience in employment law including drafting, terminations, restrictive covenants, workplace investigations, and compliance with employment laws
• Knowledge of federal, state and local employment laws
• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills across practice groups

Responsibilities

• Advise on employment terminations and separation agreements
• Draft employment and separation agreements and related documents
• Provide guidance on restrictive covenants and trade secrets
• Conduct or supervise workplace investigations
• Collaborate with other Firm groups on complex employment matters

Skills

Employment law

Management-side experience

Policy & compliance

Investigations

Job description

Lateral Associate - Litigation: Employment

New York, New York

Washington, D.C.

Associate - Lateral

Legal - Attorney

Sullivan & Cromwell is seeking an associate to join the Firm's Litigation Group and work with lawyers in the Employment Practice. Ideal candidates should have at least four years of experience working in a law firm’s employment group on the management side. Candidates with prior government experience—such as the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or a state or local agency responsible for enforcing employment laws—are also encouraged to apply.

This is an opportunity for experienced lawyers, and as such, current law students are not eligible for consideration for this particular role.

Key Qualifications

Candidates should have:

A broad range of experience in employment, including drafting employment/separation agreements, advising on terminations, restrictive covenants, workplace investigations, reductions in force, employer handbooks, employment diligence for transactions, and compliance with applicable employment laws

Knowledge of relevant federal, state and local employment laws

Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively, including with other groups with whom we interact frequently, e.g. executive compensation

About the Employment Practice

Sullivan & Cromwell’s Employment Law Group regularly advises clients on their most challenging matters related to state and federal employment law. In the evolving landscape of the workplace, we provide guidance on emerging legal issues involving social responsibility, Human Capital Management, and diversity and inclusion, trade secret protections, non-competes and other restrictive covenants.

We take a cross-disciplinary approach, working collaboratively with our colleagues from other practice areas to provide clients with a full range of employment law services. Working with members of our Workplace Investigations Group and Criminal Defense & Investigations Group, we conduct sensitive and complex corporate and workplace internal investigations, including examining whistleblower claims and retaliation allegations. The Group also works closely with members of the Firm’s General Practice Group, including, in particular, the Executive Compensation Group and Intellectual Property Transactions and Intellectual Property Litigation practices.

The Employment Law Group regularly advises clients on:

routine and complex discrimination issues and defending employers in discrimination litigation in state and federal courts and before arbitration panels;

difficult senior executive transition and retention issues, including advice on separation negotiations and litigation concerning such matters as disputes over “good reason” contract provisions;

restrictive covenant cases involving non‑compete, non‑solicit and trade secret claims;

cases involving forfeiture of stock awards;

expedited and thorough internal investigations regarding allegations of sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation financial misconduct, conflicts of interest, and other violations of corporate policy; and

a broad spectrum of employment matters, including workforce restructuring; compliance with complex U.S. and non-U.S. statutes, independent contractor and Fair Labor Standards Act classification and related wage and hour issues; investigations of employee complaints; resolution of particular employee situations; creation of employment agreements and severance arrangements; international issues; and additional traditional labor law matters.

The associate base salary is tied to assigned associate class year. The standard scale is included below.

Class of 2026: $235,000

Class of 2025: $235,000

Class of 2024: $245,000

Class of 2023: $270,000

Class of 2022: $320,000

Class of 2021: $385,000

Class of 2020: $410,000

Class of 2019: $440,000

Class of 2018: $455,000

Class of 2017: $455,000

It is the Firm’s policy to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees. The Firm does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation or a related medical condition), age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, past, current or prospective military service, protected hairstyles or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

The Firm will make reasonable accommodations to eligible individuals with known disabilities, known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, or for religious observance, to the extent required by applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.